I forced myself out of bed earlier than usual last Saturday morning so I could make it to Agrifina Circle in Rizal Park by 10 am. I've been to the Louvre, the British Museum, many other museums in foreign lands, even the Egyptian Museum! But I had never, in my 34 years as a Filipino, ever been inside the galleries of our very own National Museum. I know, right? Sad! It boggles my mind that this was never included in any of our field trips in school.
Well I'm proud to say that this photo I'm submitting above for WS#38 was taken inside the National Gallery of Art, one of the two main buildings that make up the National Museum (the Museum of the Filipino People is the other). I joined John Silva's tour together with about thirty or so other people, and I'm really glad I did. It was a very entertaining and educational 3 hours well spent. If you're interested, he has more tours scheduled in the month of June. (see blurb below). Proceeds from tour fees fo to John's I Love Museum foundation whose goal is to educate Filipino students about the importance of the arts by bringing public school teachers to the National Museum and to their local museums.
Morning tours of the National Museum in Manila are being offered in the coming weeks. Led by the museum’s senior consultant John L. Silva, the three-hour tours encompass the 15 galleries of the Museum of the Filipino People where a highlight is the collection devoted to the Spanish galleon San Diego and its treasures; and the National Gallery of Art with its massive original of the “Spoliarium” by Juan Luna.Remaining tour dates are June 7, 11, 21 & 25. They start at 10am and end at 1pm, priced at 700 pesos for adults and 500 pesos for children up to 18 years. Information: John Silva, phone +63926 729 9029, email jsilva79@mac.com.
I've gone on many of Carlos Celdran's walking tours, some more than once, which I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about the Philippines or who simply wants to be entertained for a few hours. Because much more than just a tour guide, Carlos is a highly-entertaining street performer.
Save for the photos I've taken while on his tours, this post isn’t going to be about that. If you're looking for information about his tours, please click on this link and this one. Neither is this going to be about my experiences on his tours because you already know I'm a big fan. He's been written about countless times by bloggers and has even been featured on television shows both here and abroad, even making it to Time and Lonely Planet.
Instead, I’d like to share with you some interesting tidbits about Carlos' past and personal life that most of you probably don’t know. There was quite a few items I had to leave out because they’re not meant to be published and I didn’t want to be responsible for ruining his reputation. ;)
If These Walls Could Talk collage
The North Bank tour collage
All the way down to Chinatown collage
Living La Vida Imelda collage
Carlos shows us how it's done - at a temple in Chinatown
HS Grad Picture
Follow these links for some articles on Carlos:
Carlos Celdran is changing the way you look at Manila - by Pepper Marcelo
A Walk through History - by Trina de la Rama
Walk the Talk with Nostalgia - for Go Negosyo
Local Heroes - by Irwin Cruz
Aside from the churches and ancestral houses, there are of course other reasons to visit Bohol. Here they are, in no particular order:
The Chocolate Hills : No visit to Bohol would be complete without seeing this peculiar landscape that has been declared a National Geologic Monument. Our hike up a couple hundred steps to the viewing platform is rewarded with a view unlike any I've ever seen before. Some hills were pointy and conical and some were rounded but they all appeared to be of the same size. They looked like scoops of matcha or green tea ice cream garnished with sprigs of mint and parsley. Actually more like pistacchio. Two of my favorite flavors! I pictured it in the summer when the hills dried up and turned brown like chocolate (hence the name). B & I watched in amusement as on-site photographers directed tourists in funny poses over the hills, making them jump high on command while straddling a broom so it looked like they were witches flying over the hills. One could also choose to 'surf' over the hills, or shoot an arrow like cupid. Make sure you check out the photo samples on display, they're a riot!
The hills, over 1,200 of them spread over 50 sq km. across several towns, continue to puzzle geologists and there are a number of theories regarding it's formation (see under Origin here). But like a magician who never reveals his secrets, Mother Nature likes to keep us mystified.
The Tarsiers:
Aww the tariers, such adorable little primates. Seeing them for the first time was actually a bittersweet experience for me. On our way back from the Chocolate Hills, our driver pulled up in front of a small shack at the side of the road, "to see the tarsiers", he said. We followed him inside past the souvenir shop to what looked like a tiny greenhouse. There was a small crowd milling about and peering into the trees and plants, snapping away with their cameras. It didn't take me long to realize that this was it, and I was already surrounded by the tiny creatures. So I searched the bushes until I found one, and there it was snuggled on a branch, eyes half-closed. It was the cutest thing ever! It couldn't have been much bigger than my hand. I saw about 10 more. All teeny-tiny, furry, big-eyed precious little things. They had frog-like fingers and heads that could freakishly swivel 180 deg! I took photos as B fed one a skewerd bug that was promptly snatched and stuffed into a tiny mouth - crunch, crunch.
But the cuteness stopped there. Nothing else about this scenario amused me much. In fact, I felt a flood of sadness for these sweet things held captive away from their natural habitat. As a carefree kid I kept all sorts of animals at home: parrots, fish, rabbits, mice, hamsters, hens, name it. But I have long since disposed of the fish tank and bird cage. But this wasn't just about animals in capitivity for our amusement (I can even tolerate this when it's for educational/ research purposes), but tarsiers are nocturnal animals. If they're 'working' like this during the day, when do they sleep? :( I really hope they're cared for well over there. Otherwise, tarsier viewing should be limited to the Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella which is under the auspices of the Philippine Tarsier Foundation.
Alona Beach
I know I said this particular trip to Bohol wasn't about it's islands or beaches but we couldn't resist. We couldn't have chosen a better place to have dinner after a long day on the road. Alona beach at twilight was like a salve to my senses. It is a beautiful stretch of beach lined with resorts and restaurants sans the maddening crowds that usually plague more popular beaches in the country. B & I wound down with a nice barefoot stroll before settling down at the Coco Vida restaurant for a lovely seafood dinner. We picked some fresh fish, prawns, corn and fruit which they prepared according to our preference while we waited, enjoying the live Americana folk music from a local trio. The food was more than we could normally consume, but it was great and we managed, washing it all down with a couple of beers. Ahh...I'm definitely coming back and staying here next time!
And speaking of food:
Bohol has it's share of culinary delights. One of my most memorable meals aside from the seafood dinner in Alona beach were the turo-turo (literally point-point) style lunch we had in a carinderia (eatery) outside the Loboc church. I can't remember what everything was called but it was all delicious. We sampled and took home local delicacies such as calamay hati- a sticky sweet concoction made with coconut milk, sugar, and ground sticky rice sold in smooth coconut shells; peanut kisses - very addicting cookies (shaped like Hershey's kisses hence the name) made with peanut and eggwhite; Bohol torta - a sweet cake; ube kinampay (purple yam) - which I found to be lumpier, and not as sweet or creamy as Baguio's Good Shepherd ube which I have a fierce love for but it was pretty good, the puto-maya is not unique to Bohol but it was special because it was sold to me by these adorable kids outside the Albuquerque church, puto-maya is sticky rice boiled with sugar and coconut.
Top row: native chicken & longganiza, kalamay, tsokolate tablea
Middle row: carinderia-style lunch in Loboc, Bohol torta, puto-maya
Bottom row: ube kinampay, fresh seafood on Alona beach, ube
And then there's Osang's broas. These are by far the best broas (ladyfingers) I've ever had. They are super crisp and light, almost feathery, melt-in-your-mouth heaven! I was thrilled to no end that you could watch them make the broas right there. There were only four women at work in the small bakery. I watched as the mixture was piped onto sheets of tin, baked by charcoal in a clay oven, and then scraped off the sheets and turned over on a grill to crisp and cool before being packed into brown paper bags. A very uncomplicated process using conventional baking equipment and methods. The entire place of course smelled of butter and sugar and all that bakey aroma I wanted to bottle up. I bought as much as I could manage to hand-carry in the plane (you don't want to crush these delicate things in your check-in luggage!). They were still warm from the oven when they were handed to me and I handled the bag like a first-time mother would a frail newborn baby.
Just as with old churches, I am equally fascinated and doubly charmed by old houses. It pleases me even further when they are still inhabited by descendants of the original owners and not converted into a government office or restaurant or what-have-you. I still think about all those gorgeous ancestral homes in Silay (Negros Occ.) and how much I regret not setting aside time from work to venture beyond some of those iron gates, managing only to admire them from across the road or through the car’s dusty window.
So to say that exploring the ancestral homes in Bohol was a treat for me would be a gross understatement. It was quite the honor. When you cross the threshold of an ancestral home, you are never just a tourist satisfying a curiosity. You are, above all, a guest of the family and of their forefathers.
We learned much of what we know about the BAHANDI or Baclayon Ancestral Homes Association from our lovely hosts at the Mendez Homestay, but also from a lady we met who operates a homestay of her own. It was in her living room where she recounted how the ancestral homes along the main highway were threatened by demolition due to a road-widening project. So in 2002 the BAHANDI (bahandi is actually Visayan for treasure or inheritance) was founded to protect these homes. Thanks to their tireless efforts, not only were the beautiful houses spared from the wrecking ball, but so was the cultural heritage of Baclayon. Today the BAHANDI continues to organize local cultural events, support locals engaged in traditional arts and crafts, conduct educational campaigns on culture and history in schools, and advocate the preservation of historic buildings.
Everything in the house tells a story. Even the width of the hardwood floor planks reveals the wealth of the family (the wider, the wealthier). But best of all are the stories you weave together from the personal mementoes left behind by generations past: the frayed baros carelessly hung on the walls; the worn piano keys and chess sets; framed portraits and sepia-toned photographs, rickety furniture you wouldn’t dare sit on; gorgeous aparadors next to canopied beds, doilies underneath antique porcelain figurines; religious icons that came in sizes smaller than my thumb to taller than my 6 ft. dad; books that threatened to trigger my allergies if I so much as lay a finger on them; vintage green and amber glass bottles, chipped clay pieces, walking canes and other odds and ends.
Most of the houses are of typical bahay-na-bato design, with the use of stone limited to the lower level for the foundation. The upper levels are built using wood, bamboo and other native materials. A staircase (a showcase in itself) leads you up to the large and airy main room with high ceilings. This is the most important part of the house serving as both dining and living area, and from where large doors lead into the bedrooms and the kitchen. Window sills with sliding capiz & wood shutters make up most of the upper level facade with shuttered ventanillas (smaller windows) just below it decorated in pretty iron grillwork.
I appreciated the quiet grandeur of these stately homes; devoid of the lavishness that most ancestral houses elsewhere display. But I appreciated even more the respect the locals have of the gifts of the past and the pains they've taken to preserve them. With the mass development of suburbs all over the country boasting of modern and western designs, I take comfort in knowing that houses like these which make up our national identity are fiercely protected.
So here are the Baclayon ancestral homes we had the pleasure of visiting. The information I'm providing here is taken from chats with members of the family supported by facts found in the BAHANDI 2008 calendar. Each house is as unique as the stories they tell. Instead of trying to describe each one in detail (I'd have to dedicate a whole post per house if I did), I'll let the pictures do the talking, in the hopes that you are treated to an enticing sneak preview at the very least.
1. The Malon House is currently the home of 6th generation Malon family and was the site of many political meetings between former Pres. Carlos Garcia and Juan Malon who was then working at the municipal hall. It was originally T-shaped and built in the late 19th century, but the wing that extended into the sea was destroyed by a typhoon in 1968. The house had a large and sunny living room where I found amidst the timeworn sundries, chocolate tablea covered in dried leaves. Not a stranger to the delights of homemade tablea from the provinces, I asked if they were for sale and bought some to take home. It was a week later during a beach trip with friends that I used them up to make hot chocolate for everyone at breakfast and wished that I had bought more. (Poblacion; 2 Fan Rooms, 3 Beds at P600 per person. Contact: Ms. Cecile Camba 038-5409514 / 0910-3387033)
3. The Mangrove House is so called because the rear part of the house is built on stilts and is nestled in the mangroves. It is there in that hut above the murky waters where all BAHANDI meetings are conducted. To get to the hut on stilts, you pass through one of the most charming native kitchen I have ever seen (see bottom row of collage). (Baliaut, Poblacion; 1 Fan room/3 Beds at P500 per person; Contact: Ms. Telly Ocampo 038-5409030 / 0920-2097558)
I've included the contact information for these homes should you be braver than I am (I'm a scaredy cat with an overactive imagination!) and would like to experience living in an ancestral home. If you'd like a list of the other homestays and their contact details, send me an email and I'll be happy to send it to you. :)
Baclayon Church
Choosing to stay in the town of Baclayon in Bohol proved to be a wise decision. Our homestay was only a 5 minute jeepney or car ride from the Baclayon Church while most of the ancestral homes we wanted to visit were also very close by. So after grabbing a bite to eat at the market, we crossed the road to the first stop in our tour of Bohol's churches.
#1: The Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Concepcion in Baclayon / Baclayon Church
Like the Paoay Church in Ilocos, the Baclayon church is a massive structure built with coral stone. There is some confusion as to whether this is the oldest church in the Philippines, because although construction only began in the 18th century, ancient religious relics found in the area date back as early as the 16th century - about the time the Jesuits were said to have founded the parish.
Scenes from the Baclayon church & museum compound
I emerged from the massive turquoise-colored wooden doors into what looked like a larger-than-life impressionist painting. The warm glow from the chandeliers danced with the rainbows of sunlight that shone through the stained glass windows, highlighting the walls which were mossy with the patina of age. A red carpet was rolled out over the black-and-white-tiled aisle for the couple who had just tied the knot and were now posing with their entourage at the altar. I kept my distance, not wanting to intrude on their moment. After saying a quick prayer from the last pew, I walked up the right aisle noting the intricately carved benches pushed against the wall. The entire church was a museum piece. But there was more to see at the real museum in the adjoining building next door, so we hurried to reach it before closing time.
It was a little eerie up there, walking on a creaky wooden floor amidst all these ancient relics and life-size religious statues. But the collection was impressive! How they managed to keep them in such good condition all this time is just as impressive. I especially loved the antique musical instruments and enormous music sheets on display. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take any photos, but if that helps to preserve these artifacts I'm more than happy to comply.
#2: The Church of San Pedro / Loboc Church
On our second day in Bohol, B and I hired a private car and driver to take us around. He was a very pleasant fellow who patiently waited for us at every stop we made on our road trip. After taking us to see the Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers, he drove us back through the town of Loboc where we had a quick turo-turo style lunch before visiting the Loboc Church. It had been raining hard again for most of the morning, but the rain gods were smiling down at us all weekend. They seemed to squeeze the rainclouds dry each time we were in the car, and then let up when it was time to get down at our stop.
The Loboc church stands in front of a plaza, a few meters from the river that runs alongside it. It's bell tower can be found across the street, standing sentinel from closeby. Then there's that eyesore- the infamous bridge I had first seen from K's Bohol photo album. My gosh, it was real, this monumental idiocy. A bridge that crossed the Loboc river would have ran smack into the church. What were they smoking?! This lady standing next to me sure wasn't happy about it either.
Dauis church and grounds
#4: Sta. Monica / Albuquerque Church
Are there certain words that you find makes you smile? Or even giggle? The name Albuquerque
does that to me. I love to hear it and I love to say it, enough to make me want to go to New Mexico just so I can go around saying it even more. Like Tlaquepaque (tuh-lah-kee-pah-kee), it's so cute, so....quirky! So imagine how amused I was when I found out we had our own little Albuquerque (referred to as Albur locally) right here in the Philippines? In Bohol at that, and with it's own proud contribution to the already very impressive roster of churches on the island.
Albuquerque Church
So when by chance we drove past the Albuquerque church on our way to the next destination, I asked the driver to pull over. The church is built on a low knoll just along the main highway. It's facade was unlike any that I've seen in the country. The bell tower is integrated into the structure, a bridge connects the main church to the convent, a courtyard lies between, and a series of arches ties them all nicely together. But once again, our timing failed us. The church was closed so I have no idea what it looks like inside.
The church courtyard at Albur
While waiting for B who was still taking pictures, I made some friends - a super cute bunch of local kids who willingly obliged me and my camera. After which they sold me some puto-maya (sticky rice treat) which they lugged inside a portable cooler. How could I resist their charm? Or sweet treats? So I bought one each for B, our driver and myself then thanked them as they continued on their way. Or I thought they did. I saw them watching us from under a tree, as the driver and I polished off every tasty grain in those banana leaves.
Cute little puto-maya sellers
It's amazing the number of historic churches in this province. It would take weeks to see them all and fully appreciate each one. But like our tour of the churches in Ilocos, seeing just a fraction was enough to make me even prouder of our heritage. :)
Tour driver: Jesse Deloso ; Tel. 0919-4987649 / 0921-4489881
Baclayon baluarte
We were met with lousy weather when our plane touched down in Tagbilaran city, the capital of Bohol. By the time we retrieved our luggage, the rains were coming down hard and I was sticky from the humidity. I started to fret that this would ruin our weekend, but quickly resolved to make the most of it. It was just rain, after all, it doesn’t bother me much. Two years in London had taken care of that.
My friend’s uncle kindly arranged for us to be picked-up at the airport and dropped-off at the Bohol Narra Homestay in the town of Baclayon, some 10 minutes from the capital. We opted for a place on the mainland instead of on Panglao island because of the nature of our trip (our main objective was to do a heritage homes/historic churches tour). The homestay was recommended by my friends who are getting married in Bohol in September. This is where they stay each time they come over to take care of wedding preparations so I knew it was clean and decent at the very least.
Clean and decent, it sure was. But more than that, our hosts were a very pleasant bunch! The rooms they rent out are separate from the main house within the family compound which is located by along the national road with a mangrove for a backyard. I’ve never been a guest at a homestay before and I have to say that it made our trip even more special.
On top of all the wonderful new experiences Bohol provided us first-time visitors, living with a local family was the cherry on the sundae. The adorable family dog kept watch outside our door every night. In the mornings, we watched from our second-floor balcony as one of the sisters tended to the garden while her brother chopped wood nearby. One of the brothers also volunteers his time as a driver for their homestay guests. Emee, the family assistant who doubled as our guide and companion on the first day, prepared our breakfast every morning in the main house.
Our daily breakfast feast overlooking the lush garden and mangrove beyond
It was in that cozy breakfast nook overlooking the mangrove where the Mendez sisters and Emee would later answer all our questions about their town and enlighten us about the BAHANDI or Baclayon Ancestral Homes Association, which they are a part of. I’ll go into more detail about this in another post where I'll show you some of the beautiful heritage homes we visited.
Bohol Narra Homestay
P1,200/room (max 2 pax)
Contact: Ms. Letty Mendez or Ms. Emee Abu-abo; (+63) 0906-2284477
After all this time, I finally got my butt to Bohol! I didn't want to wait any longer so I made reservations months ago for the Feb. 25 long weekend. I didn't even bother to wait for any of my travel buddies to book along with me. Most of my friends had already been there and I figured I'll go alone if I have to, so I was psyching myself up for that. I was surprised to find out though that a 'new old friend' had never been to Bohol either so I asked her to join me. Needless to say I was over the moon that she said yes!
You wouldn't have guessed that we were travelling together for the first time. We seemed to be on the same page the entire trip. From the onset when we both agreed to make this more of a historical/heritage trip rather than a surf-and-sea one (I'll be indulging my inner beach bum in Sept when I go back for a dear friend's wedding), and all throughout the weekend, it was just easy and we had a super great time.
For the benefit of my non-Filipino friends, Bohol is one of bigger islands (the 10th largest actually) in the Philippines' archipelago of over 7,100 islands. It's located in the Central Visayas region, just a stone's throw away from Cebu, and a quick boat ride from Dumaguete. Its claims to fame are the Chocolate Hills and the tarsier, both of which I'll post about in more detail later.
So I hope you stick around and let me share with you my Bohol experiences. :)
I have some exciting news for all the food-loving and island-loving people out there! The country's first ever authentic Moroccan restaurant is here! Happy happy! joy joy! Ok not quite here, here. But in Boracay. The Kasbah is open!
Kasbah is Donna's baby. I've known Donna online for a while now so I have seen through her posts the hard work she's put into this. It was no easy task, putting up this restaurant a million miles away! I was a cheerleader from Day 1, first and foremost because she's a friend and of course I want to see her succeed, but the second reason is more selfish. I LOVE MOROCCAN FOOD! And unlike in London where I could have authentic Moroccan food when I wanted, I can't find a good authentic lamb tagine here. So I've resorted to trying my hand at a homemade version sans the tagine- maybe Santa will finally give me one this year if I'm good :).
Donna knows my weakness and so she tempts me further in her email, "I trained a really good & talented Pinoy chef and he does a mean a lamb tagine with prunes & almonds!!! ". The place looks beautiful too, homey yet exotic. And she kept to the island look which I love, it doesn't look like a misplaced restaurant from Manila. Everything was imported from Morocco - the lanterns (they're gorgeous!! I want them!), tagines, poufs (those nice comfy things you sit on), mint tea glasses, and even the ashtrays.
So now Moroccan has been added to the already diverse and mulitnational Boracay dining scene. Hmm, just the reason I need to return. If there's one thing that will get me back to that island sooner than later, it will be to rock the Kasbah! So Donna, reserve that red lounge chair for me. I shall lay on it as I sip my fresh green tea and rub my tagine-filled belly. :)
Madonna my dear, congratulations once again, you rock, girl! I can't wait to meet you and Nunu. :)
Kasbah is located in Boat Station 1, next to Discovery Shores.
The culinary delights in the Ilocos region were plentiful! Prior to our trip, I made a mental checklist of food to try while there: bagnet, the local empanada, royal bibingka, dinendeng, poqui-poqui, miki & gipang, pakbet and pakbet pizza. And so true to my travel form, I set off with wide-eyed and eager, with an open mind and an open stomach! With that list, we were 7 for 8, not bad at all. The only item we didn't try was the miki (and gipang), to my friend's horror. She grew up in Laoag and practically lived on the stuff. "WHAAATT!!! How could you not try miki?!?!", she cried. "I don't knoowww, please don't hurt me. It's just, there were so many things to try!"
And that was true. Aside from those I've mentioned, the north had some foodie surprises for us. There was the delightful (all native kakanins are delightful to me!) impaltaw - sticky rice wrapped in coconut leaves and cooked in molasses, the longganisa, the basi or sugarcane vinegar aka sukang Iloko, and the biscocho.
For our first taste of Ilocano cuisine, we made reservations at La Preciosa in Laoag. It was almost 2pm so we must have missed the lunch crowd. Starving by then, we were so excited to eat, not just any food but good Ilocano food! So we ordered what I will later declare as my top three Ilocano dishes (the Batac empanada is a snack and I will get to that later:) ): poqui-poqui , bagnet and dinengdeng.
Poqui-poqui is basically eggplant sauteed with tomatoes and egg. Being the eggplant-lover that I am, I knew I'd like this. What I didn't expect was to be this crazy over it! It's so simple yet so tasty in a very familiar sort of way. It's your smooshed tortang talong (eggplant omelette). Ahh, now I'm craving it again. Gotta try and make it soon!
Poqui-poqui, bagnet, dinengdeng
I was just as excited to watch Joey dig into the golden-brown, succulent bagnet as I was to try it myself. Who better to share that fat-laden plate with than my dear pork-loving friend?! For the benefit of those who are not familiar with this deadly food, bagnet is deep-fried pork meat. Oh I know deep-fried pork meat, you might say - yes I'm assuming some of you might think that because I did- but this isn't your ordinary lechon kawali or other deep-fried pork. What makes the bagnet so mind-blowingly good is the cooking process involved. After the choice cuts are boiled, they are later submerged in hot oil to deep-fry until the skin starts to pop. When that happens, it's removed for about 20-25 minutes and then submerged again for more popping until it gets that perfectly crisp skin. And when you bite into a piece of bagnet, there's a mini-eplosion of fat that goes on inside your mouth, and if you don't clamp your mouth shut fast enough, you'll get cholesterol-filled drool on your chest. The bagnet is best eaten with a side of KBL (kamatis, bagoong, lasona - tomato/fish sauce/shallot), though it's pretty good with the sukang Iloko as well.
Thank God for the dinengdeng, which I like to believe flushed out all the bagnet cholesterol with it's goodness. Dinengdeng is a soup of green vegetables in a mild bagoong (fish sauce)broth. In it we recognized patani (lima beans), malunggay, sitaw (string beans), sigarilyas (winged beans) ampalaya (bitter gourd), okra and some fish. This was one of the tastiest clear soups I've ever had! And with each spoonful, I could actually taste the word 'healthy'. I couldn't get enough of it. I couldn't get enough of all three dishes really but normally I'll have one bowl of soup; usually before the main course, or sometimes with the main course. But all throughout our meal at La Preciosa, I ladled more of the dinengdeng into my bowl.
I had my first taste of the Pasuquin biscocho during that pleasant late night chat and snack sesson with our hosts at Sitio Remedios. It was the hard biscocho and we dipped it into our hot chocolates. It was good but had nothing on it's soft sister. Though I've already mentioned it here, it deserves another mention. These are soft rolls flavored with a tinge of anise. When you take a bite, you instantly detect a faint hint of a spice. But wait, youre not so sure, so you take another bite, hmmm yes, there it is almost, could it be?, another bite, mmmmm yes definitely, it's got to be. Ohh this is gooooooood...bite, chew chew chew....bite, chew chew chew. Oh do you wanna hear the other secret to this wonderbread? Lard. :)
Pasuquin biscocho
You can find two kinds of empanada up there in Ilocos, the paler Vigan empanada with its thinner crust/casing and the orange-y Batac or Laoag empanada with the thicker crust. We didn't try Vigan's version so I can't give you my opinion on that, but I can tell you this about the Batac empanada... IT ROCKS!! Omilord, it was fantastic! And even more so when doused with the sukang iloko. While at the motocross that morning, I told Gani I wanted to finally try the empanada from the stall there, he said no. He was taking us to his hometown of Batac for the best empanadas in the world so just wait he says. Fair enough, I thought. Besides being Gani's home, Batac is also the birthplace of former Pres. Marcos. We never made it back there in time to enter his old house, but that was ok. It was the empanadas we were after!
The Batac empanada is made with rice flour which is stuffed with grated papaya and monggo (mung bean) sauteed with garlic, then topped with egg and longganisa before it's sealed and deep-fried to a crunch. Gani took us to the plaza where stall after stall offered these half-moon treats alongside other favorites like kwek-kwek (deep-fried battered quail eggs), balut, hotdogs, longganisa etc. It seemed like half the town was there that evening, enjoying a light snack before dinner, or maybe this was dinner for them.
We followed Gani to the last stall, to D'Original Glory's Empanada; the very first empanadahan. There are apparently many variations on offer: special, ordinary, jumbo, double special, special eggless, special w/o monggo, with a soft or hard egg (I preferred it soft) and the price ranges from P25 ($0.65) to P42 ($1). For P7 ($0.15) you can order just the crust to munch on which is very tasty on its own, better than some of the tortilla chips out there. I had two empanadas, it was too good to stop at one. If we didn't have dinner waiting for us back at the resort, I would have easily had another.
We asked Gani to take us to the San Nicolas market where I had read about the mountains of bagnet on display. It was a clean wet market with rows and rows of vibrantly-hued vegetables and fruits. At the end is where you'll find it. A separate room for the bagnet and longganisa. Lots of them piled high underneath ropes of longganisa. He also took us to the Batac market for dry goods such as abel table runners, placemats and table napkins. Here I bought Nana Meng's chichacorn in bbq and cheese flavors (they had run out of the garlic flavor) as pasalubong for the people at work.
Top: Nana Meng's chichacorn, dried miki noodles, squash flowers
Bottom: longganiza, bagnet, pokpoklo
And this brings my Ilocos series to an end. Thanks to my travel companions and our wonderful hosts and guide, I went home enriched and enlightened and with a box full of goodies that allowed me to savor the experience long after we touched down back home. :)
For more about Ilocano food, visit Mike's post and Joey's posts here and here. :) And for even more lively posts and pictures about our weekend, check out Joey's series as well!
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